Harvard Business School Enlists AI Avatars to Coach Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Harvard Business School is exploring new ways to scale its educational reach, turning to artificial intelligence to give students personalized commentary on their business strategies. Through a newly launched online program, participants can now present their ideas to hyper-realistic digital avatars designed to critique their work.
Virtual Feedback in an Eight-Week Bootcamp
The technology is built into HBS Foundry, an eight-week entrepreneurship bootcamp priced at $699. While human faculty members continue to lead live interactive classes each week, the program delegates individual evaluation duties to AI-generated figures developed by tech startup HeyGen.
These digital instructors interact with students during simulated pitch sessions and virtual board meetings, offering targeted suggestions on how participants present their business plans and handle high-stakes questions.
Testing the Digital Investors
The avatar system recently underwent a real-world test when New York Times journalist Sarah Kessler tried out the software. During her trial, she pitched a concept described as “Uber for bananas” to a virtual twin of Jeff Bussgang, the co-founder of venture capital firm Flybridge Capital.
The simulated venture capitalist was not won over by the fruit-delivery concept. Kessler noted that while the digital version of Bussgang delivered unenthusiastic feedback similar to what the real-life investor would give, the virtual twin maintained a somewhat frozen smile throughout the presentation.
Evolving from Text to Avatars
The inclusion of visual avatars was not part of the original blueprint. Katharina Rings, the project director for the program, initially intended to rely on a simpler text-based chatbot to assist learners. However, feedback from an early trial run revealed that students preferred a more structured and visually interactive guidance system.
Although many university students have expressed hesitation or skepticism toward AI integration in higher education, participants in the Foundry program have embraced the avatar-led coaching. Even Bussgang, who conceded that watching a digital clone of himself can feel a bit unsettling, acknowledged that his students genuinely appreciate the interactive tool.
